View to a bill: Minnesota billboard moratorium

(FOX 9) - It’s a long shot against a $6 billion industry, but a Minnesota state senator is hoping he can give drivers a more beautiful view. He wants a billboard moratorium so we can all focus on skylines and nature instead of law firms and real estate.

Blocked view?

Natural beauty:

Catching your eyes on a drive through Minnesota could be a vast, frozen lake; deep, green forest; or clear, blue skies, depending on your route.

"I mean, [Interstate] 35 North is a great drive," said Russell Nicolet of Nicolet Law. "There's a lot of boards. I'm on a lot too."

Nicolet is also hard to miss. His cartooned bald head, sunglasses, and beard are featured on more than 100 billboards right now.

"It seems to be a good way for people to remember us, kind of associate us with something," he said.

Branding boon

Love-hate:

The billboards helped his brand become known throughout most of the Midwest, but he understands commuters can also come down with a case of billboard fatigue.

And one of the fatigued happens to be a state senator.

"You look at the state tourism posters and the tourism ads, and they show beautiful Northwoods," said Sen. John Marty, (DFL-Roseville). "They show the skyscrapers of Minneapolis and so on. But somebody who comes into Minnesota flies into the airport. What they see is billboard, billboard, billboard, billboard."

Moratorium maybe?

Here's why:

Sen. Marty authored a bill this year to impose a billboard moratorium — no new billboards and no replacing damaged, old billboards.

He’s tried this before, though, never successfully.

He also brought a bill in 2021, 2009, 2007, and all the way back to his first legislative session in 1989.

So making a moratorium the law is a tall task. There’s no guarantee it’ll pass. But supporters say if it does, you’re guaranteed a better view.

"I'm serious about this," Sen. Marty said. "I think it would make our state more beautiful."

Not standing alone

Who's done it?:

Only four states — Vermont, Maine, Alaska, and Hawaii — have a billboard moratorium in place, but some cities do it.

St. Paul tried to get rid of some billboards 15 years ago, and just last year, R.F. Moeller Jewelers removed billboards from their building.

They did it to beautify their Highland Park neighborhood, but just across the street, it’s hard to miss Kris Lindahl’s wingspan.

Guaranteed opposition

What if?:

Lindahl doesn’t like the idea of a moratorium, but he says he’ll adapt if it passes.

And it makes some sense to the man behind the billboard beard.

"You know, billboards can get overdone," said Nicolet. "And then it does take away from something that we have that's really special."

But Sen. Marty knows the odds are against him. His previous bills never even made it to committee hearings.

He’s hoping the fifth time is the charm.